Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko
Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko was the Commander of the Ukrainian Galician Army and the Ukrainian People's Army. Later, he served as defense minister for the exiled Ukrainian People's Republic.
Early life
Mykhaylo Omelianovych-Pavlenko was born in Tbilisi. His father, Volodymyr, was an officer in the Imperial Russian Army. His mother was of a Georgian aristocratic family. Omelianovych-Pavlenko attended the military academy in Petersburg, graduating in 1900. He had a younger brother Ivan who later was fighting along with him.Early military service
Pavlenko participated in the Russo-Japanese War as a company commander. Later, in 1910, he graduated from the General Staff School.World War I
During World War I, Pavlenko served as the commander of many army units, including a Ukrainian brigade in Yekaterinoslav.In the spring of 1917, Omelianovych-Pavlenko became an active supporter of the Ukrainian independence movement, and initiated the creation of the Odessa battalion. He also initiated Ukrainian military academies in Zhytomyr and Kamianets-Podilskyi.
On 10 December 1918, Pavlenko assumed command of the Ukrainian Halitska Army, which he led until June 1919.
After the union of the UHA and the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, Pavlenko assumed command of the force. He served as a special attache to Symon Petlura. Omelianovych-Pavlenko commanded the army of the UNR during the First Winter Campaign.